German manufacturer S+L Tischlerei's approach to tool storage is modular in concept and monolithic in appearance. In contrast to OPO Oeschger's line of wares, which require the carrier to pick and choose which box is the right one to bring to the job, S+L Tischlerei's MobilMarie system is meant to transport a far denser variety of hand tools, power tools, hardware and parts to the jobsite. (It also presupposes being used in an environment with a fair amount of infrastructure: Trucks with hydraulic lift gates, buildings with elevators and wheelchair ramps, etc.)

MobilMarie consists of a series of stacking boxes on a wheeled base. The boxes are made from birch plywood skinned in PVC and reinforced along the corners, flight-case style, with aluminum fittings; popping open the front lid reveals individual drawers on ball bearing slides. Here's how it looks in action:

S+L envisions the MobilMaries being purchased in multiples by companies employing teams of tradespeople, where each worker is given their own system that they then further customize by subdividing the compartments in a manner that suits them.

[The MobilMarie] provides a clean, structured and professional impression with the customer on site and in the workshop itself.

The modules are equipped with highly visible aluminum frames for labels, split to provide the company logo and a personal color code or name of the employee.

Each module can be personalized, so each employee is responsible for the existence of his tool box. Experience shows that [this system results in] less tools being left behind at jobsites or lost.

Up next: A couple of sprawling, catch-all tool storage systems that aim to be all things to all people.

Spotted at Holz-Handwerk.